Hit with a US$21 million fine from the US government for violating trade sanctions, Dutch company Fokker Services was working with four airlines in Burma — one of which is owned by a Burmese tycoon with close links to the military junta.

The renewal of some US sanctions on Burma will not harm economic relations between the two countries, according to the Union of Myanmar [Burma] Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI).

A coalition of 29 human rights groups issued a statement on Tuesday urging US President Barack Obama to continue the country’s policy of “national emergency” with respect to Burma, which is set to expire later this month.

Vice-President Sai Mauk Kham met the North Korean ambassador to Burma Kim Sok Chol at the Presidential Palace in Naypyidaw on Wednesday. Remaining ties to North Korea have proven to be a sticking point in Thein Sein’s relationship with the West.

Burma’s Parliament has prioritised passage of two bills — the Anti-Money Laundering Bill and the Anti-Terrorism Bill – in the lead-up to a meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), according to Parliament speaker Thura Shwe Mann.